Matchmaker, Matchmaker
by TheIrishShipperholic
Summary: AU/AH. 4 best friends – April, Caroline, Elena & Lexi – each get their own fairy-godmother. Add in 4 sexy bachelors, a few meddling parents and a shocking secret, and you get romantic hilarity. Will it be total chaos…or true love?
1. Chapter One

**Title:** Matchmaker, Matchmaker  
**Author:** Katie/TheIrishShipperholic  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but this story.  
**Show/Movie/Book:** The Vampire Diaries  
**Couples/Category:** Mapril, Klaroline, Delena, Lexol and other ensemble VD pairings. Alternate universe/history/reality  
**Rating:** Mature, for language and sexual situations/scenes  
**Summary:** 4 best friends – April, Caroline, Elena & Lexi – each get their own fairy-godmother. Add in 4 sexy bachelors, a few meddling parents and a shocking secret, and you get romantic hilarity. Will it be total chaos…or true love?  
**Author's Notes:** I know. The summary probably sucks, but it is better than nothing, right? This is my own spin in the previous attempts – and obviously complete & utter failure – of trying my hand at writing an original fan fiction. I am recreating it into my second attempt at writing The Vampire Diaries. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter One**

**_Song: Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)  
Artist: Dixie Chicks_**

**January 2013**

April Young navigated her way through Mystic Grill, the restaurant she loved so dearly. She held the black plastic circular tray high above her head to avoid a collision with another waitress then lowered it back down after Chloe had passed her. After delivering the rest of the requested meals to the correct tables in her section of the restaurant – the smile never leaving her face – April took her issued tray back to the front, settling it back behind the area where she and the other waitresses greeted each person that came into the restaurant with the faux smiles their boss made them wear before guiding them to a table. She jumped slightly in quiet fright at the soft, feminine voice that spoke to her, turning to find that it was only redhead Chloe next to her. April's gaze followed to what Chloe was staring at and felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Matt Donovan smiling & interacting with the customers in the restaurant. "April, how do you do it? How can you just stand there and not dream or think about jumping his bones?" Chloe asked her co-worker as the two of them continued to stare at Matt across the restaurant.

The redhead waitress' unexpected questions snapped April out of her daze and she shrugged in response. "I have known him too long to want to 'jump his bones'. Besides, he's not only our boss, but he's also unavailable – in every sense of the word," April tells her softly before turning to the customers that came into the restaurant just then and brought the brief conversation to an end. "Welcome to the Mystic Grill. My name is April and I'll be your server tonight. How many?"

"Does that usually work on your three best friends?" Elena Gilbert said jokingly, her smile never leaving her face as she grabbed April's wrist and yanked gently on it, pulling her around the podium until April was with her, Caroline Forbes and Lexi Branson. "We came to kidnap you for the rest of the evening." April started to protest but Elena cut her off by holding up her free hand. "I already talked to Matt and he told me it was okay if you left before your shift was over. Caroline, Lexi and I are taking you to the new club that Stefan, Elijah, Rebekah and Kat just opened right outside of Mystic Falls."

April sighed then finally gave in. "Alright, but let me go get my purse and coat, and I'll meet you all in the parking lot, okay?" she tells her friends and they all nodded in agreement before they left the restaurant. April turned around to find that Chloe had already gone back to her duties as a waitress and April shrugged before heading off towards the back of the restaurant to grab her stuff from the medium-sized employees' locker room, removing her embroidered apron and hanging it in the locker with her name on it before slamming the door shut softly. She left the locker room after changing into a sinfully sexy navy-colored strapless cotton dress and decided to go find her boss and thank him personally.

**xoxoxo**

Matt had just about stepped into his private office when a soft voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "Matt, I just wanted to say thank you for letting me off early tonight," his head waitress said from behind him. He turned to give April a soft, kind smile as he began to admire her natural external beauty, feeling a warm tingle begin to spread itself from the bottom of his feet, moving upward until it settled in a familiar spot – right between his legs, as he took in the sight of her in that dress.

"It's no problem, April. I hope you have fun with your friends," he tells her as his strong, firm hand comes up and he pats her bare shoulder in a soft, gentle manner. He resisted the unexpected urge to pull her close and kiss the living daylights out of her. "And you better not come into work tomorrow – unless you would like it if I showed up at your apartment and forced you to stay home."

She laughed, the sound rich and melodious, and shook her head full of dark, curly hair. "I really don't think that will be necessary, Matt, but thank you very much for the offer," she tells him, and surprised Matt when she stood up on her very tiptoes to brush her lips over his cheek. But just when April was about to turn around and hurry out of the restaurant, and before she could say anything in protest, Matt's strong hand had closed around her small wrist and he had pulled her back, reeling her into his hard body. "Matt, what…"

"Don't say anything," he whispered before his head lowers and his mouth crashes down on hers. Their kiss was intense and passionate but it ended all too soon when they both heard the familiar ring tone from inside of April's purse. "Go have fun, and I'll see you the day after tomorrow, okay?" She nods and finally leaves the restaurant to join her friends outside.

**xoxoxo**

During the short drive to the club, the kiss she and Matt had shared never left her thoughts. But April knew that things between them would stay platonic since she did kind of work for him. Once the group of girls arrived at the club and the bouncer at the entrance vouched for them with a grin, Elena linked her arm through April's and dragged her away to a secluded corner. "What happened earlier at the restaurant that had you all flustered and caused you to stay quiet during the drive here?" Elena asked as she began her interrogation on April.

"We kissed, Elena," April finally confesses, heaving a sigh of dramatic effect. Elena squealed and hugged the blue-eyed brunette while jumping up and down with soft enthusiasm. Before either of them could discuss the kiss April & Matt had shared any further, Elena's twin sister Katherine Gilbert Mikaelson approached the duo and smiled at them both. "Hello, Katherine. The club looks amazing and I hope you & Elijah and Stefan & Rebekah will make it even more successful in the future."

"Hello, April. Thank you," Katherine replied with a soft, sweet smile before she gestured to Elena. "Do you mind if I steal my sister away for a few minutes? We have something important to discuss."

April shook her head no. "Not at all," she said as she returned Kat's smile. "Elena, you can find Care, Lex and I out on the dance floor. See you in a bit!" She and Elena exchanged air-blown kisses before April turned and went to find the two blonde-haired women who completed their group amongst the growing crowd of people on the dance floor. April stifled a giggle when she finally found them dancing close together in the middle of the crowd but was cut short of joining them when the microphone someone on stage held in their hand gave major ear-piercing feedback and she followed the example of everyone around her as her small hands came up to cover her ears.

"I'm truly sorry about that, everyone," Stefan Salvatore's soft, husky voice said into the microphone and April unplugged her ears so she could listen to what the new club owner had to say. "But when your new bride tells you shocking but happy news, you definitely have reason to celebrate. She has also asked for four very special people to sing karaoke for her. Could April Young, Caroline Forbes, Elena Gilbert and Lexi Branson come up here please?"

All four girls froze when the spotlights were trained on them as they stood amongst the crowd in the club, and although each of them tried to protest, they finally caved in when the crowd – Katherine included – pushed them all towards the stage. "Are you trying to embarrass us, Stefan?" she heard Caroline ask in a low murmur. "We're terrible at karaoke when we're sober!"

April leaned around her blonde friend. "What song does she want us to sing?" she asked Stefan.

Stefan grinned. "She requested 'Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)' by the Dixie Chicks," he replied. April nodded; she knew that one pretty well since she had sang it to her younger twin brothers when they were infants.

The brunette turned to her three friends. "You can be my backup singers and I'll try a solo, okay?" she suggested softly and they all nodded in agreement with her idea. April took center stage, clutching the microphone in a light grip while Caroline, Elena & Lexi got settled in behind the microphones Stefan, Elijah and Jeremy Gilbert brought for them. "Alright, ladies, are you ready?" Two blonde heads and a second brunette head all nodded and waited for the waitress to begin.

**_Dragon tales and the "water is wide"  
Pirates sail and lost boys fly  
Fish bite moonbeams every night  
And I love you_**

She closed her eyes and let the memories of two wide-eyed, dark-haired and fair-haired little boys wash over her as she continued to sing in a soft alto voice:

**_Chorus  
Godspeed, little man  
Sweet dreams, little man  
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels' wings  
Godspeed  
Sweet dreams_**

_**The rocket racer is all tuckered out**_  
_**Superman is in pajamas on the couch**_  
_**Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse**_  
_**And I love you**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**Godspeed, little man**_  
_**Sweet dreams, little man**_  
_**Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels' wings**_  
_**Godspeed**_  
_**Sweet dreams**_

_**God bless mommy and Matchbox cars**_  
_**God bless daddy and thanks for the stars**_  
_**God hears "Amen" wherever we are**_  
_**And I love you**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**Godspeed, little man**_  
_**Sweet dreams, little man**_  
_**Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels' wings**_  
_**Godspeed**_  
_**Godspeed**_  
_**Godspeed**_  
_**Sweet dreams**_

The entire club erupted into applause, whistles and cat-calls once April sang the final words, and the song had faded into complete silence. "Thank you all for making opening night successful and I hope you all come back every night," she said once the noise had died down. "I would also like everyone who has a drink in their hand to raise a glass to the two couples who worked hard to bring this club to live. Here is to Stefan & Rebekah and Elijah & Katherine and their success with Shot Glass' grand opening – and many more nights and years to come. To Shot Glass!"

"To Shot Glass!" Everyone in the crowd echoed in unison, everyone raising their alcoholic drinks up towards the two couples after they joined April, Caroline, Elena and Lexi back on stage.

**Author's Note 2:** Let me know what you thought! Reviews = love


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

The next morning, Caroline Forbes woke up to two different kinds of pounding: the karaoke music from the night before and someone coming close to breaking down the front door of hers and Lexi's apartment. "Hold your horses, I'm coming!" she called out as she hurriedly grabbed her hair brush and quickly ran it through her soft golden locks before grabbing a navy blue hair-tie, letting it bunch around three of her fingers as she brought her hair up then wrapped the hair-tie around her ponytail three times. Once she looked presentable, Caroline ventured out of her bedroom and went to answer the insistent knocking coming from the person on the front doorstep. "Ugh, doesn't anyone know not to come before I've had my morning coffee?" She was greeted with a Styrofoam cup in front of her face before it was lowered to reveal the face of her new boss' son, Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson.

"Then it's good that I brought backup, isn't it, love?" Klaus said in his smooth, suave British accent. He held the cup of coffee out and allowed her to snatch it from his hands before following her into the apartment, watching with a smirk as the back-and-forth sway of her hips made his blood boil a little, especially with the way those awfully short pajama boxers appreciated the skin of her upper to mid thighs. After all, he was a blue-blooded male that had a thing for cute, perky and talkative blonde females who worked at his father's law firm.

"Yes, it is. So what does father dearest want from me so early in the morning that made him send you to my apartment with my usual…" Caroline trailed off when she realized Klaus wasn't listening. "KLAUS! I am not some piece of meat that you think you need to appreciate then devour. So STOP staring at my ass!" He gave her his signature smirk then stood up and walked closer to her, pinning his gaze on hers as one hand came up and slapped the wood paneling next to her head.

"You're not, love? You sure look like it to me. Then again, you always have and you always will, Ms. Forbes," he said in a husky voice close to her ear before pushing himself away from her and the wall. "I'll see you and your ass at work soon, love, and please don't be late. We have a lot to do today."

**xoxoxo**

By the time Caroline had gotten to work, minus her broken down Volkswagen Bug, her hair had begun to curl unnaturally from the light rain that hadn't been in the forecast. Her bicycle had also managed to get a flat tire just before she arrived at the four-story building that housed the law firm where she had been working for Mikael Mikaelson for the last few months, as a junior partner. She was almost in the door when her cell phone beeped, alerting her that she had a new test message but she waited until she got into the building to check to see who it was from and smiling when she was it was Rebekah. **Father is having a dinner party and I would like to have yours and the other girls' moral support when I tell the rest of my family about the baby.**

_Of course we'll be there, but is it a formal dinner party? If so, will we need dates? And what time will it take place and where will it take place?_ Caroline sent back in a responding text message.

**The dress code is formal, yes, but don't worry about dates for it; I'll help find a suitable date. I am sure Father said it was to start at 7:00 pm sharp tonight, but can you and the other girls come to the Salvatore mansion so we can all get ready there, say around 6:00 pm?** Rebekah wrote back immediately.

_Okay, I'll let the other girls know when I see them all at lunch,_ Caroline responded back. _I'll see you at 6 o'clock!_

**xoxoxo**

Later, Caroline was able to take a break from listening to the soft arguments between father and son and escaped over to Mystic Grill so she could have lunch with her dearest and best friends, even pulling April away from waitress duties for a little while, insisting that Matt wouldn't care if his head waitress took a break. "Now that we are all here, Rebekah has asked us to all come to the Mikaelson mansion at 7:00 pm tonight," Caroline tells her friends as they all munched on a basket of chips. She selected one and sprinkled a little bit of salt on it before lifting it to her lips and placing it between them to allow it to crunch inside her mouth.

"Care, we all love you, but she didn't give us much notice. I mean, where are we going to find appropriate attire in such a short amount of time? And what did she mean by finding a suitable date for each of us?" Elena asked all at once.

"I know, and I truly apologize for the short notice. I also thought we could start shopping at that new secondhand shop owned by Vicki Donovan Talbot," Caroline responded as she paused from taking another chip when she spotted a familiar face walking into the restaurant. April, Elena and Lexi all followed her gaze to where Chloe O'Hurley was seating Klaus and Mikael at a table for two. "Oh, the nerve of him! I've suddenly lost my appetite, so I'm going to step out for some fresh air. Excuse me, ladies…"

**xoxoxo**

Klaus was browsing through a menu that the cute redhead waitress had given him when a flash of blonde hair caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he glanced over just in time to see his father's most-trusted employee rushing out the door of the restaurant. Mikael must have noticed her too and he gestured to her pacing outside. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked his adopted son.

The young detective shrugged. "I am not sure, but I do think I shall go and check on her," he tells his father before dropping his menu on the table and quickly departing the restaurant to go check on his co-worker.

**xoxoxo**

She saw him coming before he actually approached her with quiet caution and she quickly turned around to start walking away from him, her Marc Jacobsen heels keeping a soft rhythm on the gray asphalt sidewalk as she walked in the opposite direction. "Go away, Klaus," Caroline demanded in a soft, brusque tone, even as his long legs kept in perfect stride until he had caught up with her, capturing her elbow in a light but firm grasp and gently pulling her to a stop. "Let me go! I have _nothing_ to say to you, Klaus Mikaelson!"

By the time she had finished yelling at him, he had captured her mouth with his and she refused to respond at first but Klaus coaxed her with just one light touch of his silk and velvet tongue at the seam of her closed lips, and she finally opened to him, moaning quietly when his tongue coaxed hers to play with his. The kiss quickly turned passionate and demanding until Caroline thought he could have been stealing her very soul. She finally ended it a few moments later, the pads of her fingertips a small pressure between their lips and he took a step back from her. "I am truly sorry, love," he immediately told her, his quick apology spoken between ragged, uneven pants.

"CAROLINE!" Lexi's soft, velvet voice said from somewhere behind Klaus and the blonde caught her three best friends' curious gazes before stepping around the Brit to join them, accepting the dark blue Louis Vitton – obviously it had to be a knock-off – clutch from April before they headed off down the street, towards _Dresses Are a Girl's Best Friend_, the new secondhand shop recently opened. Klaus let out a heavy, troubling sigh before reluctantly dragging himself back towards the Grill to finish having lunch with his father but when he got there, two of his siblings had joined Mikael at their table.

"Niklaus, come and sit down by me," his only sister said, patting his empty chair and he did as he suggested, leaning over to affectionately kiss her on the cheek, not surprised when she whispered in his ear, "I saw the kiss between you and the lovely Caroline. What's going on between you two? Are you more than colleagues or what?"

Klaus gave her his signature smirk before pulling back to reach for his abandoned menu. "I honestly don't have a clue as to what you are referring, dear sister," he told her without glancing up from his menu.

"I'll get it out of you eventually, Niklaus," she replies back in a low voice before returning to her normal one, but still keeping it soft. "But for now, your dear sister needs a favor. Caroline will be dateless for Father's dinner party tonight and…"

"And you thought I wouldn't mind escorting Sweet Caroline into the expansive dining hall of our childhood home? If that is all you're asking, consider it done," Klaus answered with another smirk.

**Author's Note:** I hope I did Klaus & Caroline's banter justice in this chapter. I haven't seen very much of their interaction to know what they're like in a scene together, so I hope you enjoy it!


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**_Song: Memorized  
Artist: Rebecca Lynn Howard_**

Elena Gilbert's chocolate brown eyes were browsing through the rack of dresses in front of her before one finally managed to catch her eye. She pushed aside the ones in front of it and gently pulled it off the rack before to the mirror behind her, holding the dress up to her oil-free tan and slim body, inspecting it. She turned this way and that, smiling at her three best friends when they approached her. "Wow, that one is pretty, Elena," Lexi complimented softly.

Elena beamed at the blonde. "Thanks, Lexi," she replied. From somewhere deep inside her silver clutch – left on the table of jewelry next to the racks of medium-length dresses – her cell phone began to sound off with the ring tone "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake – or at least the version done by Elena's former high school sweetheart, Damon Salvatore. Their relationship had gone in a sour downhill spiral after she found out he went behind her back and signed up for the Marines then got sent to Afghanistan shortly after graduating from boot camp.

"Lena, you should really get that changed," Caroline told her as she retrieved the clutch purse that belonged to Elena, giving her a sympathetic smile as she handed it to the petite brunette.

She heaved a sigh once she got her cell phone out and let her finger slide over the screen to begin looking through it until the new text messages from Damon were found. "I know I probably should, but I guess a part of me thinks it would be kind of rude if I changed it without his permission," Elena tells her friends with a soft and somewhat sad smile.

**Whatever happened to that one dress you wore on our last night together, Lenny?** She stifled a soft sniffle at the use of his nickname for her when they were together. **I'm sure that you can have Lexi alter it for you, with her being a seamstress and all.**

_Are you spying on me and my friends now, Goose?_ she quickly wrote back, stepping away from her friends for some privacy. _Because that's against our rules for each other, remember?_

**How could I forget? If you wear the other dress, I would be more than happy to be your date to the dinner party tonight, at the Mikaelson manor.**

_And what would you do if I refused?_ she wrote in her responding text message. She didn't plan to say no to him regarding him being her date tonight but she did want him to squirm a little in anticipation when she finally did give him the three-letter answer he really wanted to hear – or in his case, see her answer. Elena let a few soft giggles fall from between her lips when, instead of replying with another text message, Damon sent her a picture of himself giving her his signature pout, something Elena missed from Damon himself but got to see through their precious little boy, Gavin John Salvatore, who only Caroline, April and Lexi knew about. Stefan & Rebekah had both been sworn to secrecy after they found out, and so had Bonnie Bennett Nicholson, who was the superintendent at the high school where Elena was the English/journalism teacher and Gavin was in kindergarten. _Alright, you've convinced me. But I am still going to buy the dress – and save the other one for a special occasion._

**Okay, it's a deal, **he writes back finally. Elena smiles then puts her phone away before turning to find all three of her best friends staring soft-daggered looks at her. "You still care about him, don't you?" Caroline asked first.

"What?" Elena asked, skepticism leaking into her shaky reply. "Damon and I are just friends now. Plus, he doesn't know about Gavin – and he's not going to know either, because NO ONE in this room is going to tell him, right? Right?" Elena's tone was soft but full of demand as she stared gently at her friends.

"Right," her friends echoed in unison while they nodded with reluctant confirmation. But each of them was thinking of a plot to get their friend alone with her ex – and knew just how to do it too.

**xoxoxo**

Later, after the rest of the students had filed out once their mandatory attendance for after-school tutoring was through, Elena sat in a favorite old chair that had been a gift from both sets of her parents – adopted and biological – with the papers that had yet to be graded scattered out in front of her when she heard the soft, quick tapping of fingers on the glass window of the door to her classroom. "It's open," she called out softly without losing concentration on the task at hand as she scooted back her chair so she could open the middle drawer of her desk and begin to search for the grading pen she thought had been out earlier. Elena finally found it buried among the yet to be graded papers just before whoever had knocked on the door approached her desk with soft, even strides.

"If my memory serves me correctly, the Elena I once knew wouldn't have stuck around in Mystic Falls, much less become a teacher," the familiar soft, husky voice said from above her. Elena gasped and her gaze shot up to meet the one that belonged to her ex-boyfriend. "She also wouldn't have lied to my face about our son; a son I just found out about."

"Damon, I thought you had died over there!" Elena yelled softly back at him as she stood up to face off with him even as fresh tears slide down her cheeks. "We all believed that you were dead, Damon, not just me. Do you remember the promise we made to each other? We vowed to each other that we wouldn't fight upon our reunion if you did 'die' over there. Well, I'm trying very hard to stay true to that vow right now."

Damon immediately moved around the desk to fold her into an embrace so fierce but also gentle and held her to him as the sobs racked throughout her petite frame. "I'm here now, and I don't plan on going anywhere without you or our little boy every again," he whispered into her hair as one hand softly stroked the back of her head.

**_All these nights alone  
Without your hand to hold  
You still feel so close  
Almost like a ghost  
And I see you  
And I miss you_**

_**Chorus**_  
_**Every little sigh**_  
_**The taste of the tears you cried**_  
_**The way you held my face**_  
_**Your strength, your fears, your grace**_  
_**The things that you believed**_  
_**I remember everything**_  
_**Your face, your skin, your eyes**_  
_**I've got you memorized**_

_**I just can't forget**_  
_**The linger of your scent**_  
_**Sweet and innocent**_  
_**Just like a baby's breath**_  
_**I still feel you**_  
_**And I hear you**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**Every little sigh**_  
_**The taste of the tears you cried**_  
_**The way you held my face**_  
_**Your strength, your fears, your grace**_  
_**The things that you believed**_  
_**I remember everything**_  
_**Your face, your skin, your eyes**_  
_**I've got you memorized**_

_**Every little sigh**_  
_**The taste of the tears you cried**_  
_**The way you held my face**_  
_**Your strength, your fears, your grace**_

_**You will always be**_  
_**The only one for me**_  
_**I'll never let you go**_  
_**Deep in my heart I know**_  
_**You are the only one**_  
_**My earth, my moon, my sun**_

_**Every little sigh**_  
_**The sound of your goodbye**_  
_**I got you memorized**_

Elena heard that song playing quietly in her head, but she had no idea that it held significant meaning for her and Damon – until now. "Damon," she managed to breathe out in a soft moan just before his hand came up and he combed his fingers into her dark hair, a soft aggression thrilling Elena when he pulled her head back until she met his gaze. She gasped slightly when she noticed that the vibrant blue of his eyes had turned into a darker color just before she closed her own and felt his mouth come crashing down on hers. As soon as their mouths connected, the former high school sweethearts began to stumble around the room, bumping into the desks & chairs until they reached the door. Both of them fumble for the lock at the same time, only to find that it had already been locked…from the outside! They pulled back from each other before turning to find the shadow belonging to Bonnie disappearing further away. "BONITA EMERSON BENNETT NICHOLSON, get back here this instant!"

Her muffled voice said something to the extent of "Not until you two have made up!" Elena groaned in frustration when she realized Bonnie wasn't going to let them out anytime soon.

But before Elena could react, she felt Damon's warm breath ghost along the skin below her ear, his erection poking down against her denim-clad thigh. "Remind me to thank her for this one day," he whispered just before claiming her mouth in a soft, possessive manner. They stumbled back in the direction in which they had come from, but she forced him to stop halfway there, her slim fingers pointing to the cold tile floor. "Are you sure, Lenny? We don't have a blanket."

She smiled mischievously as she stepped away from him, her soft, ragged pants matching his as she moved over to the black metal cabinet, where she stored necessary items in case she might have to stay overnight. "Well, then, it's probably a good thing that I held onto something else important to us," she said as she dug around until she found what she was looking for. His breath caught when Elena finally turned around to reveal the soft, red and well-worn fleece blanket he'd given to her as a birthday present during their last year of high school:

_Elena's parents had all either left to go home or headed upstairs to go to bed, and Elena and all her friends helped the birthday girl with carrying all the presents she hadn't opened yet outside and to the spacious guest house. Once everyone was settled inside, they made Elena sit in the middle of the living room floor before surrounding her with all the presents. "There's so many of them!" she exclaimed before she looked up at her sister and their small group of friends, smiling at all of them in turn. "Who has the smallest present here?"_

_Katherine stepped forward and held out a red-colored envelope to her twin. "You can open this one first. I guess this could qualify as being the smallest," she told Elena and everyone watched as the fraternal twin eagerly but gently slid her finger under the barely sealed flap in the back and opened it before gently tugging the card out to open it. A picture fell out and landed in Elena's lap, and she reached down to pick it up, looking at the note with a confused expression on her face. She looked up at her twin, the confusion still in her eyes._

_"What is it supposed to be?" she asked softly. Katherine eased herself down onto the floor next to Elena before gently removing the picture from her clutches._

_"This, my dear sister, is a picture of your niece," Katherine told Elena with a sly grin. Elena's mouth fell open with an 'O' shape, the shock eventually wearing off as she gently tackled her twin onto the floor. The two sisters shared a few hugs and giggles before sitting back up so Elena could resume opening her presents. Everyone waited with bated breath as she carefully selected the next present to open, choosing a rather unusually round, lumpy one. She let her slim poke and prod the well-wrapped gift that was hidden beneath the maroon-colored wrapping paper with navy snowflake-like swirls on it._

It was Elena waving her hand in front of his face that brought Damon out of his brief memory of her birthday party. "Sorry, I was just thinking about when I gave that to you," he told her softly before nodding at the blanket in her hands.

She grinned big. "I was remembering that too!" she told him with soft enthusiasm. Setting the blanket on top of the stack of papers on her desk in front of the chalk board, Elena began to move some of her students' desks in order to make room for her and Damon. Once she had them situated the way she wanted, Elena unfolded the blanket and spread it out in the space she had created, gesturing for her ex to join her as she sat down, and once he had, Elena let herself slide until she was on her back. Damon followed her example and smiled when she moved closer to him, his arm curling around her back and shoulder, caressing the olive skin. "Do you also remember the night of our first kiss?"

"Yes, I do, Katherine," he replied. Elena goes still when he says the name of her twin.

"My name is NOT Katherine!" she hissed before getting up from the floor and hurrying to gather up her un-graded papers to take home with her and quickly departing the classroom then the building altogether. By the time Damon was able to catch up with her, she had already peeled out of the empty parking lot and he watched in sickening horror as her car crashed into another, the metal crunching deafening in his ears.

**Author's Note:** I did have a little help from a closeted D/E shipper with the last part of this chapter, but the car accident was all from my imagination. I hope you enjoy and remember to review!


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**_Song: If Today was Your Last Day  
Artist: Nickelback_**

Alexia "Lexi" Branson had been in the middle of an important meeting with a potential client when her cell phone rang. "Excuse me," she told the person with a soft, sweet smile before wheeling her chair over to the smaller set of file cabinets at the farthest side of her office, and opened the top drawer of the one closest to her. She dug around her shoulder purse until she found her phone and pressed SEND to answer the call. "This is Alexia Branson, and it better be important if you had to interrupt a very important meeting!" she said then went silent and listened to the other person for a few minutes, finally standing to begin pacing back and forth behind her desk. "I'll be right there, okay?" Lexi hung up and turned to find her client smiling sympathetically at the tall blonde.

"I will have my secretary call yours to reschedule our meeting, Ms. Branson. You have a lovely evening," the potential client to Lexi as they gathered up their stuff before leaving the building. Lexi was leaping for joy that the client wanted to reschedule but her hope quickly faded when she realized the significance of the phone call that had interrupted her meeting in the first place.

"Alice!" Lexi called out as she moved frantically around her second floor office, gathering up her purse, light jacket and the low heels she had discarded early on in the work day. She turned and smiled at her redhead secretary when she came into the office doorway. "Alice, I have to go out for a little while, and I am counting on you to make sure Sew What doesn't fall apart, okay?"

Her secretary nodded briefly before Lexi scurried out of the office while slipping into her navy blue pant suit jacket and buttoning it. She had just gotten out into the lobby while multi-tasking talking on her cell phone to a panicky duo of April & Caroline and digging around in her shoulder purse for her car keys when she collided with a hard body, nearly falling on her backside, but the arms that belonged to the body caught her arms right above the elbow in a firm, gentle hold and kept her from falling. Lexi looked up to see who her savior was and bristled at the sight of her former tormentor, and shook her arms free of his hold. "Excuse me, but I have somewhere to be," she hissed before she stepped around him, but he immediately blocked her path.

"Elijah asked me to come and get you," he told her in his husky British accent. She was surprised to hear that the brother in law of one of her closest and dearest friends would even send the third youngest of his siblings to pick her up and take her to the hospital.

Lexi shrugged and gave him a forced smile before resuming her search for her car keys, her soft golden braid falling over one shoulder when she lowered her head. "Fine, but I'm driving," she tells him in a soft murmur before brushing past him once more and waiting patiently for him to the honorable thing & open the door, which he did. Although it surprised and shocked Lexi, she stepped out the front door of her office anyway and was instantly greeted by the soft, cool breeze that was accompanied by the warm sunshine. She led the way out to her silver Ford Focus and climbed into the driver's seat before watching with a forced smile as he settled in next to her and buckled himself in.

He could feel her staring at him, but just when he turned to catch her, her eyes had quickly darted to look out the front windshield, as if she were ignoring him. His left hand came up to her cheek, and although it looked like he was going to reach out and poke the dimple that was threatening its way onto her face, she reached up and smacked his hand away. "What was that for?" he whined, extracting and clutching his stinging fingers.

"Do that again, and it will be something worse than your fingers," she said in a low tone that spoke of a warning. Kol nodded without hesitation and waited until she had started the ignition before he gestured to the radio with the index finger of his non-injured hand. "NO! There will be no changing the music in my car."

Kol threw his hands up in a sign of surrender. "I was only going to say that I liked the song," he told her quietly before turning away in defeat. Lexi immediately felt bad for smacking his hand away and reached out her hand, palm up. He turned his head at the small gesture then turned his hand until he had laid his on top of hers with their palms facing the one belonging to the other person.

**_My best friend gave me the best advice  
He said each day's a gift and not a given right  
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind  
And try to take the path less traveled by  
That first step you take is the longest stride_**

_**Chorus**_  
_**If today was your last day**_  
_**And tomorrow was too late**_  
_**Could you say goodbye to yesterday?**_  
_**Would you live each moment like your last?**_  
_**Leave old pictures in the past**_  
_**Donate every dime you have?**_  
_**If today was your last day**_

_**Against the grain should be a way of life**_  
_**What's worth the prize is always worth the fight**_  
_**Every second counts 'cause there's no second try**_  
_**So live like you'll never live it twice**_  
_**Don't take the free ride in your own life**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**If today was your last day**_  
_**And tomorrow was too late**_  
_**Could you say goodbye to yesterday?**_  
_**Would you live each moment like your last?**_  
_**Leave old pictures in the past**_  
_**Donate every dime you have?**_  
_**Would you call old friends you never see?**_  
_**Reminisce of memories**_  
_**Would you forgive your enemies?**_  
_**Would you find that one you're dreaming of?**_  
_**Swear up and down to God above**_  
_**That you finally fall in love**_  
_**If today was your last day**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**If today was your last day**_  
_**Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?**_  
_**You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars**_  
_**Regardless of who you are**_  
_**So do whatever it takes**_  
_**'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life**_  
_**Let nothing stand in your way**_  
_**'Cause the hands of time are never on your side**_

_**Chorus**_  
_**If today was your last day**_  
_**And tomorrow was too late**_  
_**Could you say goodbye to yesterday?**_  
_**Would you live each moment like your last?**_  
_**Leave old pictures in the past**_  
_**Donate every dime you have?**_  
_**Would you call old friends you never see?**_  
_**Reminisce of memories**_  
_**Would you forgive your enemies?**_  
_**Would you find that one you're dreaming of?**_  
_**Swear up and down to God above**_  
_**That you finally fall in love**_  
_**If today was your last day**_

**xoxoxo**

They didn't quite make it in time for the end of visiting hours because Kol nearly made her drive off into the ditch when he used one of his hands to heighten her desire and raising it to a fever pitch. Now, they stumbled into the open doorway of his apartment with their lips firmly locked in a passionate kiss, with tongues dueling and teeth clashing before gently biting on the bottom lip of the other person. Lexi moaned softly once Kol had kicked the door shut behind him before trapping her against with his hard body and lowered his head to attack her neck with fervent sucking kisses, going down as far as the open collar of her crisp white blouse would allow. "This has to go," he said between ragged, uneven pants, gesturing to the piece of silk material that was keeping him from appreciating the upper part of her body. She nods and brings her hands up from where they had been resting on his lean, muscled waist to the top button of her blouse. One by one, the buttons began to reveal a black-and-red lace bra hidden beneath the blouse and more skin that shouldn't have stayed hidden away. Kol knelt down in front of Lexi once she had slowly parted the blouse but didn't take it off completely. He moved in and pressed his mouth to the warm, supple skin, making her jolt slightly in surprise but she stayed put as he continued to explore her skin with his lips, teeth and tongue. He rose once more to his full height when he felt her small, deft fingers clawing at the collar of his long sleeve polo tee, reaching up with one arm at an angle as he greedily tugs at the area below his open-collared shirt. She assisted him a little, her hands pushing the shirt up from the bottom, and the shirt was lifted up over his head and quickly discarded onto the floor.

Then he turned his attention to the buttons at her wrists, his hands soft and gentle despite the calluses that were scattered sporadically on both of his hands. Lexi let her eyes drift downward until they landed on a scar between his thumb and forefinger, and her hand came up once it was free of the previously constricting sleeve, the very tips of her manicured nails tracing in a back and forth motion across the jagged scar. "Where did this come from?" she asked him a soft, husky murmur, her curiosity coming out to play.

He looked down at the scar she was indicating. "Oh. Actually, do you remember that one summer day when Katherine, Mom and Rebekah decided to give us 'men' some culinary lessons? You and your friends brought Damon & Matt over as well to get their lessons," he replies with a smile.

_**Six Years Earlier**_

_**Mikaelson Manor**_

_"Lexi, are you sure it's okay?" Stefan whined to the blonde with the braided pigtails after she tasted his sauce. She had given him her enthusiastic praises, but knew he needed the extra encouragement, so she dragged Elena away from Elijah, switching places with the brunette so she could give him a second opinion on the pot of potato soup in front of them, on his "work station". Everyone turned their heads when they heard a sound somewhere between a muffled howl and a muffled scream. The group all ran towards the open back door to find Kol clutching his hand and trying not to scream any further as Esther is running back into the kitchen with a ton of white gauze. Lexi took over, collecting the gauze and wrapping it around the second youngest Mikaelson boy's bleeding hand._

**Present Day**

"That was the day that we also agreed to be civil to each other, especially in front of your mother, sister and two of your sisters in law," she says with a smile, her fingers dropping from his hand only to have them go back up to his toned and muscular chest. His head lowered until his eyebrow was nestled between the area separating her neck and shoulder, growling low in his throat when he felt her nimble index fingers wrap around the belt loops of his jeans, tugging him towards his bedroom.

**Author's Note:** I know this update is two weeks late, but you try working one day a week and almost losing power – believing that you would have – and that is stepping into my life!


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note:** Things will get even more heated for another one of the main couples/pairings in this next chapter, so PLEASE remember to R&R!

**Chapter Five  
_Song: When You Say Nothing at All  
Artist: Alison Krauss_**

In a house across town, April left the kitchen with a small plate of fruit and cookies. She set the plate on the couch cushions before going back to the kitchen. On her second trip back to the kitchen, she was nearly frightened out of her skin at the loud rumble from outside. Her eyes had just glanced out the kitchen window at the sight of lightning when another sound soon filled her fear-consumed thoughts, and April realized her cell phone was still upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, April was halfway up when she remembered she had moved everything from her bedroom upstairs to the one downstairs, and laughed to herself when she realized her mistake. She went back down the stairs, and headed towards the master bedroom, which also had a master bathroom attached to it. When April had finally retrieved her cell phone from the small nightstand next to the queen-sized bed, she saw that she had one missed call from Matt and one voice mail message from him as well. Instead of listening to the message first, April decided to give her boss a call. Quickly dialing his cell phone number with shaky fingers, April brought the phone up to her ear and listened to it ring while waiting for her boss to answer her call. He finally responded after two rings. "April, I need your help," he said quietly. April waited with bated breath as he held the phone away from his ear so she could hear what was going on in the background, her ears greeted by someone singing a drunken round of karaoke, the male voice loud and slightly off-key.

April let out a soft groan when she realized that the male voice belonged to none other than Damon. "I'll be right there, okay?" April replies and Matt comes back on the line to acknowledge her soft response with a husky "Okay…" of his own. April ends the call first before scrambling around the room to get ready. She closed all of her college text books and stored them away in her bedroom before putting her cell phone in her jeans' pocket. She then slid on the hardwood floor in her socks, laughing aloud when she nearly fell on her ass in her hurry to get ready. April eventually finished getting dressed once again, jeans tucked neatly into a pair of faded gray rubber boots to keep the bottom of her pants from getting soaked through.

**xoxoxo**

April arrived at the Grill within 15 to 20 minutes, after climbing into her car once she made sure to have her purse & keys for both the house and her car and driving rather quickly through the pounding rain and slick streets and roads of Mystic Falls. She pulled into the first available front-row parking space she could find, taking her time going into the Grill as she slid her arms into her favorite purple rain coat and remembered to plop the matching hat on top of her head before getting out of her 2004 Honda Accord and rushing inside of the Grill. April was greeted by a sight she wasn't expecting to see, and was grateful her best friend wasn't here to see Damon attempting to grind the lower half of his body against a resistant Chloe as well as another waitress. "Oh, Damon, what have you done?" April asked herself quietly as she continued to watch the scene unfold before her. April stood up on her very tiptoes and finally spotted the dark sandy blonde hair that belonged to Matt's head and began to elbow her way through the small crowd that had gathered around to watch Damon.

Matt turned his head when he felt April's small, slender hand on his shoulder over the shirt he wore, the warmth radiating from it and making his blood travel south, and making his pants slightly uncomfortable – and extremely tight. He gave her a soft of sad smile before turning back to watch one of his best buds nearly fall over, coming close to taking Chloe with him. "I've never seen him self-destruct like this," he said softly and April nodded in silent agreement while her hand moved down his arm in a soft, gentle caress until she had laced their fingers together. She moved a little closer until her body's warmth was nestled behind his, and as badly as Matt wanted to pull her into the back part of the restaurant and ravish her until she forgot her own name, he kept his desires in check. They stood like that for a few minutes before nodding to each other and approaching Damon. Matt looped each of his muscled arms into the back of Damon's once he took away the almost-empty beer pitcher the dark-haired man had been drinking out of and pulled him away from Chloe, who was soon being comforted by April.

**xoxoxo**

By the time Matt had delivered Damon safely to the Gilbert home for Jeremy & Anna to take care of and gotten back to the Young family's ranch home, the skies had opened back up and delivered another round of rain, thunder and lightning. He got out of his truck and got up to the front porch and was about to knock on the wood paneling when the front door was suddenly wrenched open to reveal April smiling up at him, a white terry cloth towel wrapped in a tight grip within her fingers. She must have just gotten out of the shower from the way she used the towel to dry the ends of her dark curls. Matt let his face curl into a smile before his nose wrinkled at the next smell. "Do you smell something burning?" he asked her with a frown.

She gasped in horror when she turned around to see smoke filtering its way out of the kitchen. "Oh my God, I forgot the lasagna!" she shrieked before forgetting about the towel in her hands as it dropped to the floor and she felt her feet barely touching the ground while she fled into the kitchen, leaving Matt to lean down and snatch up the wet towel, opening the hamper he spotted at the foot of the stairs and gently tossing it inside. Then he decided to wait for April in the living room, his lips curving upward into a half smile when he saw the text book peeking out from between the couch cushions, snorting when he noticed it was a book for French 101. "You're snooping, Donovan."

Matt was about to respond when the book was suddenly ripped away from him and was shocked when his lips were attacked by April's, and although he wanted to push her away, Matt had waited long enough to hold her like this. Bracing one hand on the couch, Matt got enough leverage to take control of the kiss, shifting them both until she was the one sitting on the couch cushions before he gently parted his lips from hers. "April, are you absolutely positive that this is what you want?" he asked softly as he got his breathing in order. She nodded and grinned, waiting with bated breath as he contemplated his next move. Matt didn't make her wait for very long as he scooted until he was on top of the round coffee table, lowering himself until he was on his back, and smiling briefly at April before she was over him. His hands bracketed her denim-clad thighs as they straddled his lean, muscled waist. "I've dreamed about this, you know; exactly this."

She gave him a brief smirk as her hands came up to the collar at his neck, tugging hard enough until his shirt was finally ripping straight down the middle to reveal sinewy flesh that covered hard muscles. "Yeah, well, don't ruin it," she managed to get out in a breathless demand before she sat back to tug away the dark red cardigan she'd put on after her shower then also ripped the sheer white blouse, buttons scattering every which way, and leaving her in a thin tank top that had matched the blouse. They exchanged a quick smile before April came back down over him and they launched into a second round of quick, fervent kisses then he felt the brief brush of her fingertips on the lower part of his chest, their lips parting moments later.

As she sat back up to peel her thin tank top over her head, he sat up with her, one hand moving up her back until he can reach for the thin strap of her lacy, see-through bra, gently tugging on it until had exposed the white lines of her tan hidden beneath and he began kissing the skin of her collarbone and shoulder, their chests just barely brushing but it still caused April to moan softly in the crook just between where his neck and shoulder met. Matt hummed quietly against the skin his lips caressed before he decided to change course, going up towards the column of her neck, sweeping away the drying hair that prevented him from laying his mouth onto it, groaning when he felt her mouth exploring his neck in response. Desperation seeped into every fiber of his being as his mouth traveled the column of her neck until he felt her small, slender fingers tugging on the short spikes of his dark blonde hair and he finally gave in, their mouths mating in a passionate, erotic tango as his arms band around her, following along with her onto the soft cushions of the fake leather couch. He hovered over her, keeping himself on his elbows to stop himself from crushing all of his weight on her but she took the decision right out of his hands when her hands put pressure on his lower backside over his jeans and he groaned before moving away. She thought he might be leaving but he was back moments later to sweep her into his arms bridal style, carrying her towards the master bedroom and kicking the partially closed door open with one foot as if he'd had ton of practice doing it before. "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I left a beautiful lady like you hanging like that?" he asked her in a husky murmur as he lowered her to the floor until her feet touched the hardwood floor next to the queen-size bed she slept in every night, dreaming about him – and what they could have.

Once her bare feet had made contact with the coolness of the hardwood floor, April found herself closing her eyes when his hand rose to her face and brushed her hair behind her ear, shivering at the sensations it created within her body. She also found herself suddenly blurting out, "You won't regret this in the morning, will you?" He chuckled softly and shook his head no before shifting upwards to press his lips to her forehead in a gentle caress.

"No, because if I have regrets, it might ruin things for us," he told her in response, his mouth heating the skin of her forehead as their bodies swayed closer together. When he began lowering her towards the bed, April followed his lead, her hands raising to lock themselves around his neck and refusing to let him go. That was okay with him, because Matt had absolutely no plans to let her go – EVER.

**_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart  
Without saying a word you can light up the dark  
Try as I may I could never explain  
What I hear when you don't say a thing_**

_**The smile on your face lets me know that you need me**_  
_**There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me**_  
_**The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall**_  
_**You say it best when you say nothing at all**_

_**All day long I can hear people talking out loud**_  
_**But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd**_  
_**Old Mr. Webster could never define**_  
_**What's being said between your heart and mine**_

_**The smile on your face lets me know that you need me**_  
_**There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me**_  
_**The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall**_  
_**You say it best when you say nothing at all**_

_**The smile on your face lets me know that you need me**_  
_**There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me**_  
_**The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall**_  
_**You say it best when you say nothing at all**_

With one hand cradling the back of her head up underneath her hair, Matt rolled on the bed until April was the one on top then moved the other hand that rested at her waist upwards until she felt his expert fingers release the hooks of her bra and waited until it fell away to roll back over, moving back from her to stand back up. April sat up on her knees and watched as he stripped away the remains of the shirt she'd torn in two earlier. Once it was gone, Matt came back to stand in front of her and she let her hands come up to rest on his now bare chest, feeling the muscles jump beneath her fingers as they began to explore the skin of his chest and rock-hard abdomen. He sucked in a breath when he felt her nimble, sneaky fingers at the buckle of his belt but he didn't try to stop her, just assisted her when she needed it the most, and once he was stripped down to the tight black boxers that didn't exactly conceal how "excited" he was to see her, she gulped down what was left of her courage. Feeling brave, April let one hand trail down his chest until it stopped at the elastic waistband. "It's … it's not going to hurt, is it?" she asked softly. Her eyes were focused solely onto the floor, and Matt's hand came up to caress the bottom of her chin with complete and utter tenderness while keeping a light but still firm hold on her chin and made her look at him.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do, April," he tells her in a soft, slightly strangled response but she shakes her head in a 'no' motion before going up as far as she could to brush her lips across his in a fleeting caress but when she went to pull back from it, Matt's hand came up and around to the back of her head, where his thumb caressed the back of her neck before continuing the rest of its journey to sift into her dark curls and claiming her mouth with his. They fell back onto the bed in a tangle of limbs; each of them fighting for dominance during the kiss but neither of them won the battle as they rolled across the bed, clothing being thrown across the room until they were finally skin to skin. Matt finally took control once again as they pulled the sheets up over themselves to shut out the rest of the world. While he kissed her gently, April felt his knee part her thighs and she began to tremble a little but he stroked the inside of her left thigh with his hand and she relaxed once more, allowing him to continue caressing her intimately until he was sure she was truly ready for him. Then he felt her hand begin to stroke his hardened member and he let out a soft groan into the skin of her shoulder before one of his hands grasped hers to stop her then thrust gently into her, burying himself to the hilt, stopping there in case she wasn't ready. But when she gave him a quick, silent nod of approval, Matt pulled out then thrust back into her, groaning his own approval when her slim thighs locked themselves tightly around his lean hips and she pressed the bottom of her heels against his ass and forcing him to go deeper into her. Bringing one hand to her thigh, Matt gripped it lightly then moved it until he had it close to his shoulder, and she gasped at the new angle he was going for, tearing her mouth away from his. Soft, strangled cries escaped her lips as his fingers dug none too gently into the skin of her thigh and she let her teeth bite down and leave marks on his shoulder.

Each thrust that came next brought both of them closer – in every definition of the word, and when he felt her climax closing in, Matt reached down between them, to the apex of her thighs and gently pinched the bundle of nerves between his thumb and forefinger. April catapulted quickly over, her fingernails digging into the skin just behind his shoulder blades. "MATT, oh fuck!" Those were her final words before she fell limply back onto the bed, still convulsing around him as he quickened his pace then began to slow down once more when he felt his own climax send him spiraling over the edge. He grunted into her shoulder as he released his seed deep within her, and finally collapsing gently onto her.

**Author's Note 2:** And there you have it … Chapter 5, which took me TWO WEEKS to write, between RP (role play) posts and doing other fan fictions and basically feeling myself get distracted away from this gal! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and plan to come back for Chapter 6!  
Ciao,  
Katie


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Note:** To answer the question of the guest reviewer, I am rotating the girls around, but I might switch things up for this upcoming chapter and completely make it the ensemble piece I had been aiming for in the first place. So, a little bit of the inspiration for this next chapter came from watching a little _too_ much of "Another Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song". If you all know what movie I am talking about, then GREAT! You will know what scene inspired me. But if not, then you are missing out! Lucy Hale makes a wonderful modern-day version of Cinderella and Megan & Missy are phenomenal as the evil stepsister and step-mother (respectively)! Reviews = love!

**Chapter Six**

When Caroline had been younger, her own mother had often seen right through the "fake" symptoms of being sick and now, as an adult, she could recognize those same ones in the youngest of her stepsiblings, 5 year old Juliet. Caroline's father Bill and his partner-husband Stephen had adopted her as a newborn, adding to their growing family, and had included Caroline in everything, including all the legal stuff. "Juliet, can you tell me why you didn't want to go to school yesterday?" the blonde attorney asked her cute as a button sister as she sat on the edge of the pink lace comforter. Juliet bit down on her lip then shook her head no. Caroline sighed and scooted until she was nestled next to Juliet and began stroking her youngest sister's dark brown hair. "Is it because everyone is picking on you for having two fathers?"

Juliet sat up immediately and her eyes went wide with shock, making Caroline chuckle softly at the sight. "How did you know all the other kids were making fun of me?" she asked her big sister.

"Because I was just a few years older than you when I went through the same thing," Caroline replied with a knowing smile. "Now, what do you say to getting dressed so we can go out to lunch?" Juliet nodded eagerly then scrambled quickly off the bed and rushed off to her walk-in closet while Caroline began to make the bed. She glanced up when 12 year old Riley came running into the room.

He came over and tugged on Caroline's hand, pulling her towards the door and she followed along behind him as he brought her downstairs. Her breath caught when she heard Juliet's twin brother Justin and another voice deep in conversation. Caroline noticed immediately that the second voice had a distinctive British accent, and while it surprised her, she was also slightly angry that he even knew where she was, feeling violated that he knew her schedule. When she and Riley arrived at the doorway between the living room and the foyer, Caroline felt her heart start to race at the sight of the guitar in his lap. Klaus turned his head when she cleared her throat to get his attention. "Hello, love," he said in a smooth, husky voice.

She didn't waver under his intense gaze, her arms lifting to cross over her chest, right beneath her ample breasts. Klaus could feel himself growing hard at the sight of her in that charcoal gray dress and jacket combination as she stared him down and shifted from where he sat on the couch, adjusting his jeans beneath the guitar in his lap. "Klaus, can I speak to you for a moment outside?" she asked in a low voice. He nodded, knowing she wasn't suggesting; she was commanding. Standing up, Klaus handed his guitar to the young boy she had come into the room with then followed Caroline down the hall and to the kitchen, where she pointed towards the back porch and he dutifully followed her unspoken instructions. Caroline closed both doors behind them once they were outside to give them more privacy. "You're crossing lines, Klaus! This is known as violation of privacy!"

Stepping right up to her, Klaus let their noses brush briefly as his breath warmed the lower half of her face. "No, love, it's only a violation of YOUR privacy," he said with a low growl. She let out a huff then stepped away to put some distance between them, plopping down into a white wicker porch chair and crossing her legs at the knee. "Both of your parents gave small suggestions that I try to keep an eye on you and your siblings. Riley was the one who did let me in."

Caroline guffawed. "I don't believe you, Klaus," she said while uncrossing her legs and standing up to walk the length of the porch, pausing when she sensed that someone was listening to their conversation. "Juliet Mackenzie Forbes, go back into the living room or you won't be getting any ice cream after lunch!" Juliet quickly ran away from the window she had been eavesdropping at and Caroline shook her head; a smile lighting up her beautiful face before it quickly disappeared when she noticed the grin on the face of her porch-side companion. "I should get going. I promised Dad and Stephen that I would have the kids back to them right after lunch." She heads toward the door and was about to open it when she was suddenly pulled back against a hard body, one hand locking her slim arms in place so she couldn't escape and the other hand closing over her mouth to muffle the cries she was planning to make.

"I fancy you, Caroline, and eventually, I'm going to prove it to you," he whispered in her ear before letting her go and leaving, remembering to take his guitar with him.

**xoxoxo**

Klaus arrived home and left his guitar in the backseat of his SUV then headed into the mansion to find his step-mother frantically searching for the two youngest Mikaelson siblings, Serena and Sebastian. "Niklaus, good, you're home," a very pregnant Eleanor said with a tired smile. "Have you seen where they could be hiding?"

"I think I'll search for them while you go upstairs and rest for a bit," Klaus suggested as he helped her go back upstairs, waiting until she had disappeared into the master bedroom at the end of the hall before he went back downstairs to begin searching for the twins, who often found it hilarious to worry Eleanor by hiding in a place where she could never think to find them. "Serena, Sebastian, ready or not, here I come!" He went around to all of their usual hiding spots but had no luck finding them and was just about to give up when he heard a faint sneeze coming from a secret compartment each of the Mikaelson brothers had inspired to create for them to play in. Klaus tiptoed closer to the spot where he'd heard the sneeze, kneeling down in front of the compartment. "I found you!" Klaus said triumphantly as he quickly slid the door open to find them squished together inside.

"I told you to hold it in!" Serena screeched then lowered her voice when she saw her big brother bring his index finger up to his lips, indicating that her mother was asleep upstairs. "Niklaus, were you able to find the girl that you 'fancy'?" Serena's beady green eyes stared up at him once she had climbed out of the compartment and waited patiently for a reply from her half-brother, even ignoring the glare from her twin brother.

Klaus was surprised when the topic of Caroline was brought up. "I think you need to not eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Serena Victoria Mikaelson," he scolded her gently before listening to the soft squeals she made as he began to tickle her before scooping her and Sebastian up and carried them around the house and played with them quietly so as not to disturb Eleanor. He was in the middle of playing a game of checkers with Sebastian when he heard his step-mother crying out in pain and Klaus quickly pulled out his cell phone before placing it in Sebastian's hand. "Call 9-1-1, Sebastian." Sebastian nodded while Klaus ran upstairs to check on Eleanor, finding her on the floor next to the bed and clutching her pregnant stomach. "Eleanor! What happened?" He knelt down beside her and took her hand when she reached out for him.

"Mikael had to go out of town to take care of some things for the firm and I need you to take me to the hospital," she said between breaths. Klaus nodded before turning his attention to Sebastian when he came into the room.

"The ambulance are on their way, Niklaus," Sebastian tells his brother, who nods in a quick, silent manner before turning back to Eleanor to help her up off the floor and sweeping her into his arms, keeping himself balanced as he takes on the extra weight from the baby that had yet to be born.

**xoxoxo**

A few days later, Caroline dropped Vicki off at her house then gave Lexi a smirk as she dropped the other blonde off at the apartment they sometimes shared when Caroline didn't feel like staying alone in the house she had grown up in. Once she was safely tucked inside her childhood home, Caroline took off her running shoes and was about to go upstairs to take a long, cold shower when someone persistently knocked on the door. Although she hadn't planned on answering, the blonde did anyway; her face expressing the same fury she knew was building up inside of her when she saw who was on the other side. Fury turned to shock when he stepped forward to fuse their mouths together and they stumbled back toward the wall behind her, his arms banding around her as he lifted her a little then nestled his erection snug against her before turning to carry her through the living room and to her bedroom, where he put her down gently on the mattress.

Klaus smoothed his hands up her cotton-clad thighs until he had reached for the hem of her sweat-drenched tank top and Caroline sat up so he could peel it over her head then tossed it over to the laundry basket, where it landed perfectly on the floor next to it. Klaus licked his lips at the sight of Caroline naked from the waist up then gently pushed her back down onto the soft mattress, his mouth lowering to caress her belly. He moved back to capture her mouth and then sat up to discard his own shirt, allowing Caroline to briefly admire the physique muscles of his chest, panting a bit as he captured her lips one final time. He moved his hands down her arms until he had reached for her wrists, grabbing them and held them in place over her head even as he softly kissed the skin of her neck, nibbling at it with his teeth.

Caroline arched her back and let out a strangled plea, while Klaus smiled against her neck then, letting go of her wrists, he pulled the drawstring on her pants, pulling them down along with her panties and Caroline moved her hands down to his belt, undoing it before attacking the button and zipper of his jeans, pulling them down along with his boxers. Once all of their clothes were off, Klaus then held Caroline's wrists above her head again as he drove himself into her, thrusting slowly at first and then gradually picking up speed. The heat in the bedroom seemed to rise to a fever pitch, but Klaus didn't seem to care. As long as he was around Caroline, all that mattered was her, nothing else.

**Author's Note 2:** I hope that this makes up for the sex we DID NOT get to see on 3/14, instead we _had_ to see HAYLEY with her tongue down Klaus' throat!


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Since there haven't been very many reviews for Matchmaker, Matchmaker, I hope that I'm not disappointing y'all with the outcome of it. I very much like writing it, not only because people have read it and left reviews for it, but it's not ALL Klaroline, okay? I know I categorized under them, but I needed a pairing to place it under and that was the one I was in love with at the moment. I'm also considering putting this under HIATUS until I can figure out if I want to continue it, so if you're willing, PM me or leave reviews/nice messages/criticism, because I could really use it! :) I've been nice enough to read other people's Klaroline stories and leave thoughtful reviews on theirs, but some people are cautious, and I get that. I just wish that more people were reading my stuff :(**


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